


The Kids May Know Best

by kari2171



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Hawkeye (Comics), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Daily Phlint, Kidfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-24
Updated: 2016-11-08
Packaged: 2018-08-10 20:34:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7860172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kari2171/pseuds/kari2171
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Phil has an adopted daughter named Daisy.  Clint has a biological daughter named Darcy. The girls are in the same 2nd grade class.  </p><p>See what happens next.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. How Phil adopted Daisy

**Author's Note:**

> This is your warning. I write slow, will go back and edit, and have no idea how long this willl be. You may want to wait until I mark it complete if you're like me most days and like finish products. If you're like me on other days and like to see the process, please read and let me know what you think.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Phil found Daisy

The day Phil had been waiting for was finally here. After five long years of paperwork and waiting, after six trips to China, and after losing his heart to a beautiful little girl, his Daisy was arriving from China.  Being a single man meant that adopting in the US was going to be extra difficult, and success depended on which judge was arbitrarily assigned to the case.  Going through China was his best chance.  Even then, his best bet was being willing to take on an older child that had been deemed difficult to place. 

 

Daisy had been through orphanages and foster homes at an alarming rate.  The first orphanage had burned down in mysterious circumstances when Daisy was only 3 months old.  The next was closed by the government due to unknown circumstances. Foster homes were tried, but since Daisy was mixed race, many homes didn’t treat her well and some outright abused her.  Because of this, she was labeled difficult.  Phil had already been waiting 3 years when he first met Daisy. She was just over four years old. 

 

The room they met in was set up a lot like a pediatrician’s waiting room.  There was a small table with old children’s magazines and worn out toys on it.  The walls had probably once been a bright blue but had faded into looking dungy. Daisy sat at the table in a child’s size chair with her head rested on her folded arms.  Phil could tell just from her seeing her from the back that she was on the edge of malnutrition.  The reports he had received explained that she hardly spoke, although she seemed to understand everything that was said to her.

 

Phil had been warned not to overwhelm her with gifts, so this first day he had brought a couple of soft cloth dolls.  He held one out and at the nurse’s urging, Daisy took it, looked at it for a moment and set it down on the table and put her head back on her arms, ignoring it and him.   Phil wasn’t sure what to do, but he decided to just keep plunging ahead. He took off his jacket and sat in the chair next to her, careful that he wasn’t too close, and started playing with the other doll. He narrated while he played in a mix of English and his rudimentary Chinese.  He made up stories that the doll wished she had someone to play with. The doll went to a make believe zoo, and a pretend park and onto a scary pirate ship. He wasn’t sure if it was the story or his poor Chinese, but he was sure that every once in a while he caught Daisy sneaking a peek at him.  At the end of the hour, the nurse led Daisy back to the toddler ward leaving the doll on the table. The next day was a repeat of the first, except this time it was a coloring book and Crayolas that Phil played with while Daisy sometimes watched.   It was so hard to have to leave after only an hour.  He wanted to grab her up and take her home.  The next day Phil brought a Lego set.  He sat down and started to build a house when the head of the orphanage said he had questions for him.  He stepped out in the hall with her for a moment, explained that, yes, he worked for Mr. Stark personally and yes, he could guarantee a donation to help ease the adoption process.  He would still have mountains of paperwork and red tape to wade through with both the Chinese and United States governments, but having the orphanage on his side would certainly help.  He agreed to meet with the director again after he finished his daily time with Daisy, and went back into the room.  He hadn’t been gone long, but when he got back, a house with a slopping roof and attached garage stood where he had left a half finished square.  Daisy had quickly put her had back down but was peeking up from behind her arms. 

 

“Wow. Whoever made this house sure did a great job.” Phil tried to say in Chinese. “I wished they would show me how to build a car to go with it.”

He must have gotten the meaning across while messing up the grammar, because with a giggle, Daisy reached out and started to put wheels on the bottom of a long flat piece.  That giggle was the sweetest sound Phil had ever heard and later he would point to that moment as when he fell in love with his daughter.   

 

Throughout the rest of their visits on that trip, Daisy gradually became more and more open with Phil.  One time he was allowed to take her, accompanied by the nurse, to a local playground.  Daisy didn’t seem to know what to do until Phil sat her on the swing and gave her a small push.  She squealed with joy and started saying “Tian, Tian.” the Chinese word for sky.  They spent most of the hour on the swings until the nurse said the hour was up. Phil expected Daisy to cry, but she obediently got up and took the nurse’s hand for the walk back.

 

Another time, he brought finger paints and paper and they spent the hour making a complete mess. Phil would ask what a color was called in Chinese and when Daisy responded he would repeat it incorrectly on purpose just to hear her laugh at him. They made a bit of a mess and the nurse looked a bit put out, but Phil now had a copy of his little girls hand prints.

 

Except for the hour a day with Daisy, Phil spent his time with Government officials and lawyers.  Thank god as an executive at Stark Enterprises he had help finding lawyers who could explain things to him in English while dealing with all the paperwork and red tape from both governments.  Everyone seemed to want another form or promise or phone call.  He tried not to think of all the donations Stark was making on his behalf as buying a child, but he knew he would do anything for his daughter. And she was his daughter; he just had to get two different governments to recognize that fact.         

 

By the end of the first two week visit Daisy was willing to sit on his lap and could tolerate short hugs. His final present was the only one she would actually keep; A Starkpod with a learning English as a second language playlist. He tried to explain during their last hour together that he was going away for awhile but he would be back. He wasn’t sure how much she understood and even if the words made sense, how much she trusted them, but there weren’t any tears on her part when he left.  The same couldn’t be said for Phil. 

 

Each trip it took Daisy awhile to get reacquainted with Phil and each time he knew a little more Chinese and she knew a lot more English.  Things were delayed when someone showed up claiming to be her father.  Phil’s lawyers quickly paid him to sign away all rights to the little girl. By the last trip he was finally allowed to explain that he was going through the process of adopting her and that soon she would be coming to stay with him in the US.  That was the first time she initiated hugging him and the first time she cried when he left.  Phil figured up until then, he was just some nice guy who played with her once every few months.  

 

Phil waited at the arrival gate at JFK by himself.  Pepper Potts, his boss and Nick Fury, his best friend, had both offered to come with, but he wanted this first official meeting to be just the two of them. (Well after he signed all the paperwork and the Chinese guardian that flew over with her went away.)  There was a huge crowd coming through the terminal, but Phil only had eyes for his little girl.  She was still small for her age and clung to the nurse’s hand to avoid the crowd, but when she spotted Phil she wiggled away and ran into his arms.        

 

“Welcome home.” Phil told her.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, no Phlint here. Clint and Darcy get the next chapter. THEN comes the Phlint.


	2. Clint and Darcy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> See how Clint became a single Dad

Chapter 2

 

Clint Barton wasn’t always a careful man.  He sometimes read and walked at the same time.  He sometimes forgot to buy new razors so he would get nicks when shaving and he always drank straight from the hot coffee pot. (He had actually met Bobbi Morse in the police station after being arrested for being in a bar fight. He had just been defending a smaller guy from a gang of thugs, so was being released without charges when she was getting off shift.) But he always, always, ALWAYS practiced safe sex. So when his, well Bobbi thought girlfriend, he thought friend who he happened to have sex with, came to him and said she was pregnant he didn’t believe her.  Sure, everyone knew no protection was 100%, but really, what were the odds? Turns out, after much shouting and a paternity test, pretty good. 

 

Bobbi told him that she believed in a woman’s right to choose, but her choice was to go through with the pregnancy. It was up to Clint what that meant for him.

 

After coming to terms with the ‘Oh My God, I’m going to be a Dad’ness of it all, Clint made some decisions. He believed that Bobbi’s body was hers to make decisions about but if she had the baby he would be a Dad. He would NOT turn out like his father. He would be the OPPOSITE of his father. That meant being 100% committed to the baby and by extension, 100% committed to Bobbi.   He actually went out and bought a ring before Bobbi so carefully brought up the fact that she was happy Clint wasn’t one of those old fashioned guys that he thought he had to propose just because a baby was on the way. Clint hid his disappointment, sold the ring for a fraction of its cost and used the money to by a crib. They did move in together, and Clint tried to make things as easy as possible. He rubbed her neck when she asked and bought some mugs and quit drinking from the coffee pot. He even took down the dartboard and put up her black and white artsy photographs instead. Bobbi hated to cook so they had a lot of takeout for supper but Clint made breakfast for them both before she went to her job as a dispatcher for the local police department and he went to whichever apartment was next on his remodel list.

 

Owning an apartment building was never supposed to be his career, but after being removed from active duty due to an IED taking out much of his hearing, he had just been wandering, not sure what to do with his life. He got used to the hearing aids, but the Army wasn’t going to let a guy serve on the front lines with them. Instead he went to New York where he drank too much and partied too much and gambled with questionable people. Then in one of those back alley games of high stakes poker, he won a run down apartment building in Bed-Stuy. He later learned that the Russian had lost on purpose because the city was about to condemn the place. He had been ready to sell it to whatever developer wanted to tear it down and start gentrifying the neighborhood when he made the mistake of going and meeting some of the tenants. The previous owners had made many promises to people too down in their luck to press the matter when rents kept rising and the building fell apart around them. They reminded him of people he knew growing up, people who lived every day just trying to make it to the next without losing ground and the Russians had abused their hope.  The first thing Clint did when he became the legal owner, and even getting the paperwork filed legally was an arduous process, he tore up the old leases and hired a law firm out in Queens to write a boiler plate that lowered the rents 10% while actually stating in writing he would bring the place up to city code. He met with the local building inspector and when he offered to take a bribe to look the other way, he talked to the head of inspection for Brooklyn and got a true list of what all needed fixing. It meant a complete overhaul of the plumbing and electrical systems, a removal of lead based paint and after all that mess, it just made sense to replace old worn-out appliances and carpets. Luckily, he had quite a nest egg saved from his time in the army and could afford the investment. He was working on the finishing touches to the final few apartments and should finally be seeing a profit about the time the baby would arrive.

 

As the pregnancy progressed, Clint became more and more excited and Bobbi seemed less and less so.  She had always been an active person and the switch to desk duty didn’t sit right.  When the neighbor from the floor below gave Clint her kid's out-grown newborn clothes, Clint marveled at the ingenious snaps and tiny socks. Bobbi tried to look interested but mainly looked scared. By the last couple months, Bobbi’s dissatisfaction grew and Clint started to feel more and more that he was walking on eggshells trying not to set off her temper.  Clint put it down to pre-baby jitters and figured once the baby came she would fall in love and it would all be OK. He took care of  getting the nursery ready,(They decided to let the sex be a surprise, so he painted the walls a mossy green). He bought practical things like burp towels and baby blankets along with completely impractical ones like the stuffed purple elephant that stood 3 feet high.

 

Due to some slight high blood pressure, Bobbi was forced to start her leave from the police force a month before her due date. Sitting around the apartment without being able to do much more than watch TV or read meant she grew even more frustrated and short tempered. Two weeks before their daughter was supposed to be born, Clint came upstairs from fixing Simỏnes dripping faucet and said “Hey Bobbi, how was your day?”

 

“How do you think it was? I feel like a beached whale and there’s nothing on daytime TV and I finished the only good book in this crappy apartment and while your fixing everyone else’s place, our shower has no water pressure and this couch has to be the lumpiest thing ever made.”

 

Clint took a deep breath and calmly said, “I can’t do much about the TV schedule and you know I plan on replacing the water heater with a new one using next months rents. I haven’t done anything about the couch because baby furniture had to come first. How about I go out and pick us up some take out and whatever book you’d like next.”

 

“I don’t want pizza again. I want Indian.”

 

“I thought Indian gave you heartburn.”

 

Bobbi shot him a look and he raised his hands in surrender and said “OK, Indian it is. What kind of book do you want?”

 

“Not a bad crime novel that I have to nit-pick the procedure and not a silly romance.  Something thought provoking but not too deep.  This parasite is sucking my brain power along with all my energy.”

 

Clint knew whatever he choose would probably be wrong, but at least this gave him an excuse to leave for a bit.

 

By the time he got home, Bobbi was sitting at the table, looking out of the window.  She didn’t turn when he came in, so Clint took the carry out to the kitchen and dished it up.

“I asked Bruce at the bookstore for recommendation about the kind of books you liked and he recommended a few. Hopefully at least one will be interesting.”

 

Tucking the bag of books under his arm, he carried it and both of the plates to the table. That’s when he saw the Bobbi was crying.  He’d seen her cry in frustration with him and heard loud angry sobbing, but here she sat silently crying and so sad looking.

 

“Hey, hey, what’s the matter?” he asked.

 

“I’m so tired. Tired and frightened and I’m never frightened.  I stared down a Russian mobster bluffing about the backup I had and I wasn’t as frightened as this baby makes me.”

 

“All parents get scared, that’s normal.”

 

Bobbi just barreled ahead, not even acknowledging what Clint said. “And you seem so happy and sure about all this and I don’t know anything.”

 

“Hey, now, you know that’s not true.  I am the incompetent one in this relationship.”

 

“Not about the baby.  You’ve done everything while all I do is yell at you.  I tried to ignore that a baby was coming for as long as possible.  Sure I was getting fat and SOMETHING kept moving around inside me, but I think it just now hit me that I’m going to be a Mom and I know I’m going to be horrible at it.”

 

Clint opened his mouth to reassure her when she kept going. “All the books and other mothers say that they loved their baby from the start. Whether that meant from conception or from the first sonogram or when the baby started moving.  I don’t feel anything Clint. I’ve tried, but I don’t feel anything.”

 

“That will change, you’ll see. You’ll hold our beautiful baby in your arms and you’ll fall in love. It will be OK.” He held her close while she cried herself to sleep. Only later did he realize she never said she was reassured by his confidence.

 

The next day, while eating spicy Indian leftovers, Bobbi went into labor.  9 hours later the nurse put a beautiful baby girl into Bobbi’s arms while Clint looked on in wonder. Bobbi held her for a couple of minutes, examining her tiny fingers and long eyelashes then held her out for Clint to take.  Clint knew it didn’t really mean anything but when he held her, she grabbed onto his finger with her whole fist and opened her eyes.

 

“So, are we still going to name her Darcy Elizabeth?”

 

“Yes, I think our Grandmothers would have like that.”

 

“Hi there Darcy, I’m your dad. That lady over there is your mom and we are going to love you forever.”

 

Bobbi gave him a tired smile and said, “Would you take care of things for awhile? I really need a nap.”

 

“Sure. We got this, don’t we Darce. We’ll let Momma rest while you’re quiet. ”

 

Clint brought Bobbi and Darcy home the next day. For awhile everything seemed perfect to him.  Sure, Darcy sometimes had trouble eating enough so she also woke up to eat more often, but that just meant more time Clint got to hold her.  After a couple of weeks though, the lack of sleep started getting to them both.  They learned how to argue while whispering about everything from who drank the last of the OJ, to whether they should give up on breastfeeding and try formula. Clint tried to let Bobbi have her way without getting walked over, but when it came to things he felt were important for the baby, he fought back.  When Darcy turned a month old, Bobbi went back to work. She seemed happier now that she was back in touch with her old buddies on the force like her old partner Logan. She came home more animated than she had been in a long time.

 

Clint didn’t actually have to do much now that the apartments were up to code. The occasional fix-it job he could do while bringing a sleeping Darcy along in her car seat.  The few times the job seemed more involved he dropped her off at Simones in exchange for watching her boys once in awhile.  At night, Bobbi cooked or brought home supper while Clint handled feeding and bathing Darcy.  Since Clint had finally given in on the formula debate after Bobbi went back to work, Clint could now do night feedings too. Soon, he had taken on most all of the child care while Bobbi took on more and more over time at work, eventually moving off of dispatch and back on patrol duty. Clint was so wrapped up in Darcy that he didn’t notice the signs.

 

One day when Darcy was about six months old, Bobbi came home from work and said, “We need to talk.”

 

“Ok, Darcy is still taking her nap; she’ll probably stay out for at least another half hour.” Clint thought Bobbi just wanted to talk about what they would do on the upcoming holiday weekend. He wanted to take Darcy on her first trip to the beach; Bobbi thought it would be too crowded.

 

“I can’t do this anymore Clint.”

 

“Do what?”

 

“Pretend that I am any kind of mother.”

 

“What does that mean? You ARE a mother.”

 

“I still don’t feel what a good mother feels, Clint.  I should want to be here with her. I should want to hold her and pick out cute outfits and know what her favorite stuffed animal is but I don’t. I don’t want to be here and I resent the fact that she took you away from me and I know that is horrible and ridiculous and I can’t put any of us through that anymore.”

 

“What do you mean? I’m still here, I still care about you. Darcy loves you.”

 

“You don’t see it, do you? Every time I try to hold her or comfort her or feed her, she cries.  She’s all yours now Clint and I think you’re all hers.”

 

“Wait…”Clint started

 

“Let’s be honest with each other Clint.” Bobbi said, interrupting.  “If I hadn’t gotten pregnant, we would have broken up a long time ago.”

 

“Maybe, but you did and I stayed. I am committed to you and Darcy.”

 

“But I think I am the add-on now.  And we both deserve better than that.”

 

“So now what?” Clint asked not arguing the point, knowing deep down that she was right. “Where will the two of you go? I have to see her as often as possible.  Please don’t take her far away from me. I know, apartment 2 C is open, I can move down there and the two of you can stay here, that way Darcy can stay in a familiar environment “

 

“You’re not listening Clint.  I’m leaving, but I think its best for all of us if you keep Darcy.”

 

Clint sat back in stunned silence. Bobbi continued.

 

“I’ve accepted a job with the L.A.P.D. My sister is out there so I’ll stay with her until I find a place. I’ll keep in touch and I’ll send child support.  I took the liberty of contacting Matt Murdock and he’ll have something for us to sign so you’ll have all the legal rights to her and we’ll make it all official.”

 

“If you’re in California, what kind of visitation do you want?”

 

“None. When she’s old enough, if you think it’s appropriate that we meet so I can answer her questions, I am willing to do that, but I thinks its best if she’s your daughter. Really, that’s already the case.

 

“What do I tell her when she’s old enough to ask about you?”

 

“I guess that her mom realized that you were a much better parent than she could ever be and that someone as special as Darcy only deserves the best.” Bobbi pulled the suitcase she already had packed from the front closet.

 

“Anything else that’s mine you find, just throw in a box and I’ll send you an address as soon as I have one.   If it’s in your way, just take it to the station, Logan will take care of it for me.”

 

She walked to the door. “Aren’t you even going to say goodbye to her?” Clint asked astonished at her callousness.

 

“I said my goodbyes last night.  I have to go while I still have the courage.”

 

“If it takes that much courage, maybe it means you shouldn’t go.”

 

“I think it means that sometimes doing what is right is hard. Goodbye Clint, I’ll always care about you.” She kissed him on the cheek and walked out the door.

 

Clint stood staring at the closed door until he heard Darcy start to whimper. Going into the nursery, he picked her up and sat in the rocking chair next to the window.  “Hey there my girl.  It’s just the two of us now. I hope I can be enough for you.”

 

 


	3. The Park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trip to the park, and they almost get to meet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is done, or it at least says mostly what I want it to say for now. Eventually you will learn how Jemma and Leo and Jane fit into their lives, just not yet.

"Skye-baby, wait for Papa." Phil shouted as he jogged after his daughter.

"But I just want to look at the pretty purple flowers Papa." Daisy replied.  

"Remember what we talked about? How when we aren't home you need to stay close where I can see you? What would happen if I got lost?"

"I would find you. I'm the best finder when Jemma and Leo and I play Hind and Seek."

'Sure, as long as you stay focused enough to keep looking longer than 2 minutes.' Phil thought to himself. "Well, stay close anyway because I don't want to get lost, I'd be scared." he said out loud.

He didn't think Daisy had a problem with paying attention necessarily, she just never lost that wide eyed enthusiasm for everything that she had when she first came to the US. EVERYTHING was interesting and fun.  Because of all the adjusting she had to do when starting her new life in America, Phil had decided to homeschool her to start. Every weekday, Phil got up at 6, got ready for the day and was checking his over night work emails by 6:30. Daisy got up at 7, or more accurately, Phil starting waking Daisy up at 7, she was in no way a morning person.  While she ate breakfast and brushed her teeth and got dressed, Phil dealt with anything at work that couldn't wait.  Usually by 8:30, Phil was done with work and Daisy was ready for the day and they started her school work.  He found a curriculum online that seemed to start with the basics in English while still allowing her to keep her knowledge of Chinese. She was smart as anything, and she zipped right through the curriculum, especially anything to do with math.  Phil had decided they were far enough ahead that they could have a morning in the local park. They had went by the pond and fed the ducks and played on the swings and were now on the way back home. Phil tried to arrive early and leave before lunch.  He had learned the hard way that single nannies and mommies often had lunch in the park and found an attentive dad irresistible. He had just never had been good about turning aside a woman's interest subtly. Usually it was just as well because he had to get Daisy to daycare and himself to the office.

"Daddy, why are some flowers purple and some are pink?" Daisy asked, leaning over to look at the flower bed as closely as possible without toppling over.

"Different colors attract different insects." Phil answered, kneeling on the sidewalk so Daisy could lean against him.

"But bugs are icky. You won't let me play with them."

"Some bugs do good things for flowers but bad things for people. Remember when Leo got stung by the bee and got really sick? Bees are really good for flowers and help them, but bad for people." Phil always tried to answer Daisy's endless questions as completely as possible, but he really didn't feel like getting into the birds and bees with his 7 year old in the park.

"Time to go now baby." Phil told Daisy, standing up.

"Not a baby. Gonna go to real school soon." Deciding Darcy was ready for public school wasn't easy, but soon she would be getting into material that couldn't be covered in a half day , and that wasn't going to work with his job at Stark Industries.  Phil probably could have found something that required less work, but he liked his job and especially the people he worked with. Quitting would feel like a betrayal after all Pepper and Tony had done to help with the adoption.  

So Daisy would be starting public school in the fall.  Phil took her for a placement test, assuming that she would go into first grade, but she did so well they recommended second.  His little girl had caught up to others her age.

"I know honey, but you could be 1000 years old and still be my baby." Phil said, swinging a giggling Daisy into his arms.

"Silly Papa, no one lives that long." Phil listened to Daisy babble about his age and her age and Jemma and Leo and on and on while walking to the park entrance.  Coming up the walk towards them was a very handsome man and a girl who looked to be about Daisy's age, although it was hard to tell. Daisy was still small due to inadequate nutrition in the first few years of her life. The man, if he was single, was probably a real hit with the mommies who lunch crowd. Wearing a T-shirt that could barely contain his arm muscles and a huge smile aimed at the adorable little girl, he was certainly attractive.

"Come on Darce, if you want to meet Jane and her mommy for lunch, we have to hurry." the man said to his dawdling daughter.

"I'm just looking for butterflies." the girl said. "My teacher says you shouldn't catch them, cause they don't do well in capivity,  but you can look, and I think they are the prettiest, don't you Daddy?" 

"Captivity, and yes, they are pretty, but you don't want Jane to eat up all the Bologna before you get there, do you?"

"She won't she only likes turkey sandwiches."

"Well, if she finishes her turkey before you finish you bologna, she might get to eat all the dessert."

Suddenly grabbing the mans hand the girl started to pull. "Hurry, Jane's mommy made cupcakes!"

As the two men passed one another, Phil nodded and the man responded with the same. Phil waited a moment then turned to check the rear view, only to turn red when he caught the man looking back himself. Phil knew he wasn't ugly, but most people thought the word nondescript was coined with him in mind, so he was unused to attracting any wanted attention. 

Setting Daisy back on her feet, he said, "Race you to the lion statue." he took off at a jog towards the parks entrance. From behind he heard the man laugh and tell his own daughter, "Don't pull so hard, I need that arm." as they went further into the park. ~~~~


	4. Darcy and School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy explains why she doesn't like school. (This doesn't feel like it advances the plot much, but its as good as its going to get for today.)

Darcy was generally a happy girl.  She liked pretty things, she liked the color purple, and she loved her stuffed elephant Harold.  She did not however like school.

"I think it's exciting that you start second grade tomorrow." Clint said as he tucked Darcy into bed.

"I don't." Darcy said. "I don't like school."

"Why not? Remember, you can't just not like things, there has to be reasons."

Darcy folder her skinny arms across her My Little Pony night shirt and said, "First it starts too early.  I barely have time to say good morning to you and Harold and Simone and and her boys and then eat breakfast and get dressed and brush my teeth before we have to leave. Then there are all the rules. Some are ok, like no hitting or making fun of people or even not talking when other people are talking even if it is really hard to wait for Wade to finish his really long stories but some rules are dumb. Like staying in line. Sometimes there's stuff just across the hall to look at but we have to stay in line when going to gym or lunch or music. Why would Mr. Rodgers hang art on the walls outside his room if we can't look at it? It's dumb. And not being able to bring stuffed animals for show and tell. Harold is just as cool as the wooden soldiers Leo's grandma sent him from Scotland but NO, I couldn't bring him.and most of all school is hard. Reading is ok and sometimes the stories are good so that makes it funner, but numbers are really hard. Mrs. Carson wouldn't let me keep using my fingers, which works just fine, but no I have to use just my head which is SO hard."

"Wow, that is a lot of reasons. Let me give you some answers. You would have more time in the mornings if you get up the first time I ask, but I understand having to wake up slowly. How about I start asking15 minutes sooner, think that would help?"

"Yea and I guess I can try to only make you ask a couple a times."

"Sounds like a plan. Then the rules. If everybody just decided to go their own way, and take their own time, it would take forever to get to lunch or music class. That wouldn't be fair to the people who really like those things or to the teachers, would it? If sometime you want to walk with me through the halls to look at things we can ask to do that when I pick you up. Not every day and we might need to ask permission, but sometimes and with planning, ok?"

"Ok and then I can ask to show you stuff in our room too."

"Good idea. As for Harold the great, a three foot tall stuffed elephant is too big to leave the apartment. We have had this discussion many many times."

"I know."

"Plus, if Harolds at school, who will keep me company all day?"

"Ok, I don't want you to be lonely."

"Now about math, numbers are hard for me too sometimes. And you know that your problems were getting too big to do everything with your fingers. We just have to keep working on it together and all you have to do to make me proud is what?"

"Try my best and ask questions when I don't understand."

"Right."

Clint wasn't too worried; Darcy eventually got her math figured out. She was just used to everything coming easy. When she had to work to figure things out it frustrated her.

"Now, you've told Harold good night and had a drink of water and brushed your teeth. What am I forgetting?"

 This was a game they had played since Darcy was a toddler.

"My goodnight kiss Daddy."

"Oh, of course," he replied giving her a loud smooch on the forehead. "Sweet dreams."

"Night daddy."

 

 


End file.
